Thoughts in a Haystack

Last night a stray/roaming cat got into my garage and, in an attempt to get it out, I managed to get fairly soundly bitten before it decided to exit on its own.

I'm sure it was not a total stray ... it was pretty sleek and well fed and I think I've seen it around the neighborhood before. But there is no way I can be sure that it wasn't sick at the time or might become sick in the near future.

So, I went to the emergency room, where they and the local health department decided I have to get treatment for rabies.

The actual vaccine shots are not bad and are given in the arm. But the immediate treatment is to inject large amounts of human rabies immunoglobulin at the site of the wound. I had been bitten in the fat part of my palm below my thumb, so, using a needle that seemed about the size of a fire hose, they pumped 9ml of immunoglobulin into my hand and wrist and upper arm.

That hurt.

My hand swelled up and was quite sore thereafter, though it is easing up now.

Now much of this was my fault. I should have known better than to try and grab the cat but it seemed fairly calm, though alarmed. It even cautiously let me pet it without violent reaction.

But the real cause is careless owners who let pets roam, where they are bound to get in trouble.

Well, that or, because I don't pray to the Xian god, he arranged for me to be bitten. I suppose I should count myself lucky that he didn't decide to send someone with an assault rifle.